2013TeamHandbook

The Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Management defines a mission as “Why you do what you do; the organization’s reason for being; its purpose.”

Given the flexibility each university has to implement Enactus, developing a mission statement is an important step new teams should consider. For veteran teams, this exercise will energize and refocus efforts. A mission statement is not a slogan! Written correctly, your mission should provide a perspective for making important decisions, such as what community outreach projects to develop, which audiences to target, what outcomes you hope to achieve through the projects you implement, and members of the community you should involve as partners in your projects. Developing a mission statement is the first step in establishing your team identity and should be the primary means by which you communicate your team’s purpose and inspire commitments from internal and external constituents.

Given the unique nature of each college or university, try to develop your team’s mission statement in a manner consistent with the values reflected in your own institution’s mission.

Enactus Purpose:

To enable progress through entrepreurial action.

Sample Team Mission Statements:

•To empower our community with business and entrepreneurial skills that will help improve their quality of life and standard of living

•To implement projects that will empower our community or people in need with business and entrepreneurial skills resulting in better and more sustainable sources of livelihood

•To better the lives of people in our community in need by empowering them with business and entrepreneurial skills and providing them with a better and more sustainable source of livelihood

•To implement projects that will better the lives of people in our community in need by empowering them with business and entrepreneurial skills and providing them with a better and more sustainable source of livelihood

Key Ideas

•Look at mission statement examples from successful organizations around the world

•Work within the broad framework of Enactus and your college/university

•Keep the language simple

•Write a mission statement that clearly defines why your team exists

•Reflect on your mission statement as you make project decisions

Without question, the driving force behind a team is the Faculty Advisor, who may be a professor or a staff person at an academic institution. Much more than a teacher, the Faculty Advisor wears the titles of coach, mentor, career advisor and friend, with duties ranging from motivating their teams to helping students write résumés.

Faculty Advisors serve as trusted sources of advice as their students sort through various career opportunities and make the transition to the work force. Most students will tell you that the friendships they’ve developed with their advisors last well beyond their university years, and they count their advisors among the most impactful people in their lives. You’ll find satisfaction watching your students extend their learning beyond the four walls of a classroom to hands-on, real-world situations. As your students implement their outreach programs, they develop teamwork, leadership and communication skills. But most importantly, as Enactus students become teachers, they discover a whole new passion for learning.

Requirements for Faculty Advisors

In order to be recognized by Enactus, each team must have a Faculty Advisor. To qualify as an advisor, candidates must be employed by the academic institution they represent. In some countries, additional requirements may exist such as Faculty Advisor

application interview or administrative support letter. Please contact your Program Manager for certified requirements. No restrictions are made as to the specific nature of the advisor’s role at the institution they represent. Each individual institution may have only one

team, but there is no limit on the number of advisors. One of them, however, must accept the title of Primary Faculty Advisor. Those accepted as Faculty Advisors must have a thorough understanding of the free enterprise system and the ability to work with students, community groups and local businesses. As the advisor of a team, you must be willing and able to guide students in the establishment

of an Enactus program and the implementation of quality projects. The role of the Faculty Advisor is to assist in the activities of the team through encouragement, advice and guidance. The advisor is discouraged from micromanaging the team, though they are

indeed the official head coach. The Faculty Advisor should, however, facilitate interactions between the team and the institution’s administration and may also assist with managing the activities of the team’s Business Advisory Board (BAB).

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of a Faculty Advisor include, but are not limited to:

•Provide mentorship to Enactus members

•Regularly attend meetings, fundraising activities and outreach programs

•Provide guidance to the team and evaluate competition presentations

•Prepare Enactus students for competitions

•Serve as an advocate for Enactus on and off campus

•Ascertain that the team has met all requirements, and

•Serve as the primary representative of the team with the

Enactus offices.

Enactus has developed a sample profile document which outlines additional details about the role of a Faculty Advisor. We have also created a Faculty Advisor Manual which covers essential areas pertaining to your opportunities for success as an advisor. This can be found online at www.enactus.org.

Recruiting

Academic institutions are dynamic environments. Every year, valuable Enactus students graduate while other students begin their journey through higher education. This constant turnover means that recruiting new members is a never-ending task that requires constant attention. However, a common misconception is that a very large membership is required to operate a successful team. While we would certainly encourage you to involve as many students as possible on your team, keep in mind that team membership numbers tend to grow gradually over time. While a large membership is beneficial in many aspects, teams should not be discouraged if

a team size does not grow exponentially early on. A small group of committed students can make a huge impact on its targeted audience and fare very well in the competitions. Also, remember that participation in Enactus is not limited to students in business

studies. You should make an effort to recruit a significant number of your members from outside the business school. These members will bring a fresh perspective and valuable skill-sets to the team.

Consider the following strategies for recruiting new members:

•Participate in your institution’s organizational fair at the beginning of the program year.

•Ask members of the teaching staff to make an announcement in their classes about Enactus or offer to make a short presentation at the beginning of their classes.

•Where applicable, identify the general education classes every student is required to take and ask the teachers if you may make a presentation in their classes.

•Create personal invitations to join Enactus and have current team members distribute them to their friends or other student leaders.

•Advertise in the student center.

•Identify other student organizations that would make good partners for a particular project and invite them to conduct a joint project with Enactus. For example, if your team is facilitating financial literacy projects, approach the finance club as a potential partner.

•Ask your team’s Faculty Advisor about the possibility of offering class credit for participation in Enactus.

•Create an Enactus bulletin board to include a sign-up sheet, current projects, media coverage, announcements and the team’s meeting time and place.

•Purchase fun giveaways such as pens/pencils, mugs, Frisbees, or magnets. *Please remember to attach your institution’s name when using the Enactus logo.

•Wear your team’s T-shirt or polo on meeting days.

•Have meetings in highly traveled areas so team meetings can be seen by non-members.

•Utilize outlets such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube to publicize recruitment, events and meetings.

For more information on recruiting, refer to the Team Recruitment Best Practices Guide, found in your Team Toolkit and/or on the Enactus website.

Key Ideas

•Remember that recruitment is an on-going process!

Your strategy should entail of actions to take throughout your Program Year to add new students.

•Get creative! Appoint one of your team members in the

‘HR’ or ‘Head of Recruitment’ role; allow them to drive forward your growth ambitions.

•Enactus counts on you to contribute to our global goals for growth! We would like to achieve an ‘average students per team’ number of 55 by the year 2015. For those that are shy of this, please consider creating a multi-year recruitment plan. For those that have already achieved/surpassed that goal, we encourage you to continue to expand your team membership.

When more students participate, more transformational experiences will be created and more lives will

be changed.

Organizing

Although there is a variety of models from which to choose in organizing your team, we suggest you choose a flat structure built around your team’s outreach projects. Start by creating a limited number of officer positions for key functional areas. Examples might include a president, vice president of finance, vice president of recruiting and membership, etc. Dedicate the majority of your leadership structure to project manager positions. The individuals who fill these positions will be responsible for organizing a project team and managing the details required for the completion of one specific project. An established structure avoids a lot of bureaucracy, encourages teamwork and provides valuable project management experience to the team members.

The following are suggestions for improving the organization and cohesiveness of your team:

•Register your team as an official student organization.

•Schedule a regular meeting time and location. Most teams usually meet weekly or biweekly.

•Collect the contact information for each member and create and maintain a team member list.

•Create an e-mail list serve for your team.

•Make sure each team member registers as a student at www.enactus.org or on your country’s respective Enactus website.

•Hold a leadership or team retreat to plan for the upcoming year.

Institutional Support

Institution

Administration

(President,

Provost, Division,

Dept. Chairs)

Having the support of your institution and administration is crucial to the success of your team. Administrators control university resources and determine how they are specifically allocated. Obtaining institutional and administration support can increase your team’s likelihood of receiving resources.

Remember that funding is not the only support your institution and administration can provide. There are many opportunities for your institution and administration to support your team by allocating resources such as:

•Personal time

•Printing and material resources

•Access to university and community networks

•Funding for projects, travel and/or team activities

•Office space for the team

•Course releases for faculty to serve as advisors

•Course credit

Keep in mind that resources are limited for every university. Never assume the above resources are available for your team. The only way to truly know is to ask.

Obtaining Support

Institutional support is most easily obtained by building personal relationships with administrators. It is important to identify the influential individuals at your institution who have the ability to allocate resources to your team. Start with your department chair, business school dean and university president.

Developing a pitch specifically for administrators is vital to gaining their support. First, find out what your team can do for the institution and administration. Pitch your team as a solution to

a problem they are facing and clearly state what is in it for them. Identify current or future activities that parallel the administration’s objectives.

Be proactive in developing a relationship by getting

them actively engaged. For example, ask your administrators to:

•Serve on your Business Advisory Board

•Attend team meetings

•Participate in projects

•Critique your team’s presentation prior to completion

•Attend official Enactus events, such as team training conferences and competitions

Administrators who are actively engaged with your team are much more likely to see the benefits your team brings to the institution.

Reminder: It is a requirement that all competing teams have their Annual Reports reviewed by an institutional administrator and obtain his/her signature on the Project Verification Form as acknowledgement and endorsement of the institution’s Enactus program.

Key Ideas

•Determine how your team can benefit your institution and administration

•Create a pitch that clearly explains what’s in it for them

•Keep administrators informed about what’s important to them

•Engage administrators in team meetings, projects and events

•Remember an administrator must sign your team’s

Project Verification Form

•Utilize the Institutional Support Best Practices Guide